(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an airbag device that to be disposed in the front side of a vehicle facing an occupant.
(2) Description of Related Art
An airbag device for a frontal collision of a vehicle is mounted to the vehicle in order to protect an occupant in the vehicle when the vehicle collided with an object ahead (in the event of a frontal collision). The airbag device includes an airbag that inflates and deploys in front of the occupant and holds the occupant (at least the occupant's head) in the event of the frontal collision. Further, the airbag device is required to reduce a risk of injury to an occupant even though the occupant is in an abnormal posture (a so-called out-of-position (OOP)), for example, being inclined frontward as compared to a normal sitting posture. In particular, the risk of injury to the occupant by the airbag in the initial inflation and deployment is large and so must be reduced.
In order to address the risk, an airbag device has been known, in which a part of a folded airbag is covered with a wrapping member (a flap) that restricts rapid inflation of the airbag toward the rear side of a vehicle (toward an occupant) in the initial inflation and deployment of the airbag (see Japanese Laid open Patent Application Publication No. 2013-10430).
However, with the conventional airbag device disclosed in Japanese Laid open Patent Application Publication No. 2013-10430, it is difficult to satisfactorily reduce the risk of injury to an occupant in the OOP by the airbag just even when the inflation of the airbag is restricted with the wrapping member. Accordingly, a recess is formed at the central portion of the airbag, which will be brought into contact with the occupant, to guide the gas in the lateral directions, thereby reducing the projection of the airbag toward the occupant's head. Consequently, the shape of the airbag in the conventional airbag device is complicated and the manufacture of the airbag is difficult.